Superman has a number of dangerous villains in his Rogue’s Gallery. Aside from his arch nemesis Lex Luthor, the Man of Steel has to contend with Brainiac, General Zod, and the Cyborg Superman, all of which are powerful enough to pose a threat to even the Last Son of Krypton.
One of Superman’s most unlikely foes, however, is the 5th dimensional imp Mr. Mxyzptlk. Possessing reality warping powers that dwarf anything Superman can do, this prankster has been a thorn in Superman’s side since his first appearance in Superman #30. Unknown to the Man of Steel, however, Mxyzptlk wasn’t always a troublemaking prankster… until he met some DC superheroes!
This stunning revelation about Mister Mxyzptlk’s origin was revealed in Young Justice #3 when a young Mxyzptlk materialized in the modern DC universe after some computer-using occultists attempt to bring powerful magic to Earth on Halloween. They succeed in transporting Mxyzptlk – but not the Mxyzptlk readers know. Instead, thanks to the way 5th dimensional imps exist outside of regular space-time, this Mxyzptlk is a serious scholar who’s only interested in writing his thesis on “three-dimensional primitive life forms.”
Taking advantage of his situation, Mxyzptlk decides to experiment on some Earthlings, but resolves not to have any fun doing so – for fun has no place in the life of a reasonable scholar. His study takes him to a Halloween party being thrown by Young Justice members Superboy (Kon-El), Robin (Tim Drake), and Impulse (Bart Allen). Although Mxyzptlk uses his powers to turn half the teenagers into elderly folk and the other half into out-of-control dancers, he’s not actually playing pranks – just measuring his test subject’s panic levels.
Superboy, Robin, and Impulse engage the other-dimensional scholar who makes short work of them with his powers (while taking notes about their reactions). Robin, however, recognizes the imp as a younger version of Mxyzptlk and Superboy informs the scholar about his future prankster self. Disgusted with the idea that he would ever lower himself to “such foolishness,” Mxyzptlk pledges to dedicate himself only to science and learning forever. While this seems like a good thing, Mxyzptlk’s oath proves detrimental when the heroes go outside and see the world is now destroyed and full of active volcanoes. Realizing that by resolving not to be a trickster who tormented Superman constantly, Mxyzptlk had somehow altered the time stream so Earth was now a wasteland, Robin tells the imp that he has to become an annoying prankster… for the good of the world.
Although Mxyzptlk is reluctant to degrade himself to that level, the heroes soon convince him otherwise by… making him watch a marathon of The Three Stooges. That’s right, by force-feeding Mxyzptlk a steady diet of Earth’s silliest comedians, Robin, Superboy, and Impulse basically drive the formerly serious imp crazy and convince him to embrace a life of “pointless stupidity.”
Luckily, Superman wasn’t around to learn that the three sidekicks were now basically responsible for creating his most annoying supervillain. Just how Mxyzptlk had somehow prevented the end of the world by harassing Superman was never revealed, but apparently the fifth dimensional imp is actually more important to Earth’s proper reality than he might seem at first!